Once upon a time, on a gloomy April day in 2006, there were rumors that the Houston Texans were going to draft North Carolina State DE Mario Williams. Yes, the Texans actually drafted Williams over for sure superstars Vince Young and Reggie Bush. Over the next 6 years, this decision was scrutinized greatly, as Super Mario was exceeding expectations one day and failing to perform the next. Mario was always criticized for his motor, his durability, and his lack of pass rushing skills. However, going into the 2012 offseason, Williams was considered by many as the prize of the free agency class, a player who could make a defense infinitely better. Saying that, the Buffalo Bills were the team that made that a fact, by signing Mario to a remarkably large 6 year, $100 million dollar contract. Which is a lot more than the Texans were offering.

Now, on this coming Sunday "Judgment Day", as coined by Mario himself, is finally here. The Buffalo Bills (3-4) make their way to Reliant Stadium to play the AFC South leaders, the Houston Texans (6-1). Both teams are fresh, coming off of bye weeks. In their last game, the Texans dismantled another potential AFC contender in the Ravens. So now, there is a bit of worry that this week's game could turn into a trap game of sorts. However, with the Mario debacle being so publicized, I highly doubt that the Texans' focus will be off.

Buffalo is last in the NFL in rush defense, allowing an inexcusable 177 yards rushing per game. This is simple, give the ball to Foster and Tate (or Forsett if Tate cannot play). There is no reason to fool around in the 1st quarter against a terrible rush defense like Buffalo. I'm guessing around 20 for 100 for Foster.

(2) Contain Jackson and Spiller

Buffalo's offense is predicated off of the success and big play ability of not only Fred Jackson but also the electrifying C.J. Spiller. I expect to see lots of 1 on 1 man coverage this week (Joseph on Stevie Johnson) so that Manning and Quin can play up a little bit and focus on stopping the run. Along those lines, the Texans need to keep their composure and not over pursue, as counters and screens are a big thing for Buffalo.

(3) Play sound Special Teams

In my opinion, the only way the Bills can beat the Texans is by the Texans beating themselves. In the 2012 season, they way the Texans have done that is through horrible special teams play. Not only have the Texans special teams been awful, but it has also been a strong suit of the Bills. The Bills lead the NFL in both PR average and KR average, so the Texans are going to have to be extremely disciplined to prevent big plays.

Im sure Mario will get one of the loudest boo's we've heard in a while.

Where has Mario been lining up, LDE or RDE? I bet he stays as far away from Duane as possible which could mean trouble for Newton....

Dareus and Anderson are also pretty solid DLinemen so so our OL needs to be ready.

I look for JJ to have a monster game batting balls from Fitzpatrick, along with the OLB's since Buffalo is on its 2nd string left tackle after the rookie outa Georgia went down with an injury after play very well early on._________________
^CalhounLambeau on the sick sig^

This is a game where the offense needs to step up early. I want to see an opening drive TD.

I think we can get a lot of confidence with a win here because it means that we didn't spend all of our energy on Baltimore. Win here, move to 7-1. This is a lesser team. I think they will try to sneak a win in here but Watt and company will close the door on them. 21-20_________________

Why will Mario be boo'ed? What has he ever done to Houston? I get Jones being boo'ed to an extent but Mario did nothing to Houston. He just left in FA, something anyone of you guys would have done if offered one of the biggest contracts ever. Mario also didn't even get an offer from the Texans.

Tate (hamstring) is unlikely to play Sunday against Buffalo, the Bills' official site reports. "He's going to miss some time here, so you're not going to see him back all of the sudden in the next day or two," coach Gary Kubiak said Monday. "I think he's going to miss a little time. He's been working as hard as he can work."
Spin:
As a result, look for Justin Forsett to see backup carries behind Arian Foster this weekend, an assignment with a touch of fantasy upside, given how much trouble the Bills have had stopping the run this season.

We don't need him anyway this week. Bills run D isn't good and Forsett has been good in the limited time he has played.

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Why will Mario be boo'ed? What has he ever done to Houston? I get Jones being boo'ed to an extent but Mario did nothing to Houston. He just left in FA, something anyone of you guys would have done if offered one of the biggest contracts ever. Mario also didn't even get an offer from the Texans.

Booing Mario is just immature.

Look at the fans who will be in the game. Most of them aren't "real die hards" like people on this board so they will just boo for the sake of booing. If I was at the game I personally wouldnt, but I won't be surprised if he gets booed. Remember, these are the same fans that does the freaking wave at a "FOOTBALL GAME". _________________

Why will Mario be boo'ed? What has he ever done to Houston? I get Jones being boo'ed to an extent but Mario did nothing to Houston. He just left in FA, something anyone of you guys would have done if offered one of the biggest contracts ever. Mario also didn't even get an offer from the Texans.

Booing Mario is just immature.

Meh. Even at his "height" for this team, guy was slightly above average. We drafted him with the hopes of being the centerpiece of this defense, and he failed in that respect. Not like we could of done better with the selection - I mean, the rest of that draft looks like crap - but with all of the expectations the guy had, he missed the mark. He turned out to be a nice pass rusher - another Neil Smith. We didn't need another Neil Smith, we needed a Bruce Smith.

I don't buy the "offer" crap either. He visited Buffalo for three days and signed right then and there. He didn't even give anyone a CHANCE to court him - I know Atlanta, Tenneessee and Philly were also pining at the chance to sign him, and he didn't even bother checking them out. Tenneessee is a rub, as they're bad too...but Atlanta is the best team in the NFL right now, and Philly is better than Buffalo in many respects. Guy wasn't about finding a spot where he could win, he was looking to get paid. He was gonna get paid no matter where he went, but going to Buffalo tells me he was STRICTLY looking for money. He got that, and I hope that he enjoys that money, as he quickly fades away into oblivion...

I don't HATE the guy, but I'm not exactly going to give him a rousing ovation this Sunday. If I was there (still 50/50 on going) and I had a few beers in me...yeah, I'd boo._________________

Why will Mario be boo'ed? What has he ever done to Houston? I get Jones being boo'ed to an extent but Mario did nothing to Houston. He just left in FA, something anyone of you guys would have done if offered one of the biggest contracts ever. Mario also didn't even get an offer from the Texans.

Booing Mario is just immature.

Meh. Even at his "height" for this team, guy was slightly above average. We drafted him with the hopes of being the centerpiece of this defense, and he failed in that respect. Not like we could of done better with the selection - I mean, the rest of that draft looks like crap - but with all of the expectations the guy had, he missed the mark. He turned out to be a nice pass rusher - another Neil Smith. We didn't need another Neil Smith, we needed a Bruce Smith.

I don't buy the "offer" crap either. He visited Buffalo for three days and signed right then and there. He didn't even give anyone a CHANCE to court him - I know Atlanta, Tenneessee and Philly were also pining at the chance to sign him, and he didn't even bother checking them out. Tenneessee is a rub, as they're bad too...but Atlanta is the best team in the NFL right now, and Philly is better than Buffalo in many respects. Guy wasn't about finding a spot where he could win, he was looking to get paid. He was gonna get paid no matter where he went, but going to Buffalo tells me he was STRICTLY looking for money. He got that, and I hope that he enjoys that money, as he quickly fades away into oblivion...

I don't HATE the guy, but I'm not exactly going to give him a rousing ovation this Sunday. If I was there (still 50/50 on going) and I had a few beers in me...yeah, I'd boo.

You shouldn't boo someone who didn't live up to expectations. He gave us his all and played through injuries. Was he the greatest DE ever? No. Was he pretty good? Yes. It isn;t like Ryan leaf or someone.

And when someone offers you 100 million dollars and the most guaranteed money ever for a defensive player you take it. I am sorry Texans fans can get on their high horse be like "I would have taken half that money and played for a competitive team." BS. Everyone would have taken that money and ran. Also the Bills did have something to build on and they can be competitive in the near future.

He gave us his all and played through injuries. Was he the greatest DE ever? No. Was he pretty good? Yes. It isn;t like Ryan leaf or someone.

And? We drafted him to be THE guy on the defense, and he didn't live up to that. Not like I'm booing DeMeco Ryans, a guy who gave 110% on every down and was a leader for this team. Not like I'm booing Chester Pitts, a guy who was a team captain and heart and soul of this team who was sent off by the team following an injury. Not like I'm booing Eric Winston, someone who was a passionate player who was willingly forced off this team because he was making too much money.

I'm "booing" a guy who - despite all the hype - never lived up to it. A guy who didn't even bother coming back to Houston to entertain a deal, or head off to Atlanta to hear if they had a comparable deal to the $100MM that Buffalo was offering (and given that the Falcons have cap space, I'd reckon they DO have that cap space to make him as rich).

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And when someone offers you 100 million dollars and the most guaranteed money ever for a defensive player you take it. I am sorry Texans fans can get on their high horse be like "I would have taken half that money and played for a competitive team." BS. Everyone would have taken that money and ran. Also the Bills did have something to build on and they can be competitive in the near future.

...wait, you're trying to tell me who we can and cannot boo, and you have the NERVE to tell me to get off a damned high horse!?

Hi Pot, my name is Kettle. Nice to meet you.

We're not talking about HALF the money - nobody would take that. However, given that the Falcons had cap space to burn, it's very feasable to think Mario would of got just as big a payday in Atlanta - for a WINNER - vs Buffalo. Ok, so $1-2MM off, big deal when you're talking about $100MM. One less house in the Hamptons, I guess. But hey, Atlanta is 7-0 right now, and Buffalo isn't. Great financial decision there, I guess._________________

He gave us his all and played through injuries. Was he the greatest DE ever? No. Was he pretty good? Yes. It isn;t like Ryan leaf or someone.

And? We drafted him to be THE guy on the defense, and he didn't live up to that. Not like I'm booing DeMeco Ryans, a guy who gave 110% on every down and was a leader for this team. Not like I'm booing Chester Pitts, a guy who was a team captain and heart and soul of this team who was sent off by the team following an injury. Not like I'm booing Eric Winston, someone who was a passionate player who was willingly forced off this team because he was making too much money.

I'm "booing" a guy who - despite all the hype - never lived up to it. A guy who didn't even bother coming back to Houston to entertain a deal, or head off to Atlanta to hear if they had a comparable deal to the $100MM that Buffalo was offering (and given that the Falcons have cap space, I'd reckon they DO have that cap space to make him as rich).

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And when someone offers you 100 million dollars and the most guaranteed money ever for a defensive player you take it. I am sorry Texans fans can get on their high horse be like "I would have taken half that money and played for a competitive team." BS. Everyone would have taken that money and ran. Also the Bills did have something to build on and they can be competitive in the near future.

...wait, you're trying to tell me who we can and cannot boo, and you have the NERVE to tell me to get off a damned high horse!?

Hi Pot, my name is Kettle. Nice to meet you.

We're not talking about HALF the money - nobody would take that. However, given that the Falcons had cap space to burn, it's very feasable to think Mario would of got just as big a payday in Atlanta - for a WINNER - vs Buffalo. Ok, so $1-2MM off, big deal when you're talking about $100MM. One less house in the Hamptons, I guess. But hey, Atlanta is 7-0 right now, and Buffalo isn't. Great financial decision there, I guess.

You are just throwing out statements that aren't facts.

FACT: Mario never got an offer from the Texans. They simply could not afford him and had higher priorities. This wasn't like Lebron leaving Cleveland or Pujols leaving the Cradinals. This was a mutual split. No one betrayed anyone so that is one reaosn why you shouldn't boo.

You can say what you want about the Falcons but you don't know that. You really think they would sign him after they just shelled out so much money for Ray Edwards? And after taking on Asante Samuels contract?

Also Houston had the whole year to offer Mario a deal if they wanted him. The fact is that they didn't want him back and they didn't make an offer. Him spending 3 days in Buffalo and then signing doesn't mean he didn't give Houston a chance.